Inflatable cuffs have been known for many years and have been used for a variety of purposes. For example, blood pressure readings have for many years been measured using an inflatable cuff to apply pressure to blood vessels and determining at what pressure blood will flow through the arteries. In so doing the health practitioner listens to the flow of blood while gradually decreasing the pressure applied by the cuff. A pressure gauge associated with the inflatable cuff indicates the applied pressure.
Inflatable cuffs have been used for other purposes, for example, such cuffs are used as splints to restrict the use of the limb of a patient with a fractured arm or leg.
Prior inflatable cuffs have generally been of two types, bladder-type cuffs and bladderless-type cuffs. In the first type, a cuff is made of fabric such as nylon and a bladder is removably inserted in the fabric cuff. The second type generally has a film or film/fabric laminate which is welded to produce an air holding cuff. The existing inflatable cuffs generally use small patches of hook and loop fabric to fasten the cuffs around the patient's arm.
The existing inflatable cuffs have had certain inherent disadvantages and problems. Prior cuffs which have been made of a film material have a feel which is sticky and unpleasant. There is little room for breathing between the cuff and the patient's skin therefore perspiration accumulates between the skin and the cuff. The perspiration creates a feeling of discomfort. If the cuff is to remain in place for an extended period of time, microbial materials may grow in the perspiration, producing irritation and/ or odor. The strength of the film has its own limitations. If over inflated the cuff may burst. The film/nylon fabric cuff likewise has little breathing capability. The bladder-type cuff has a fabric jacket that permits breathing but tends to be bulky and often is not very comfortable. The bladdertype structure results in a high cost product.
The present invention over comes the problems inherent in the prior inflatable cuffs.